


Chapter Two: The Lonely Blue Jay

by jchao745



Series: In The Mid-Autumn: The Sorry We Couldn't Say that Day [5]
Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-07
Updated: 2016-02-07
Packaged: 2018-05-18 20:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5941984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jchao745/pseuds/jchao745





	Chapter Two: The Lonely Blue Jay

The light of the rising sun broke through the scattering clouds in the morning sky and the town came alive with motion. The sound of several alarm clocks resounded through the neighborhood, one of them being Julie’s. The sunlight had just pierced through her window all in the while the obnoxious rings echoed through the room. She shrugged them off, not because she had become used to to the noises, but because she was already wide awake.   
“Julie!” Kate’s voice was heard through the hollow walls in the house. Julie heard Kate’s door slam and the pounding of her feet through the hall that was getting louder and louder by the second. Julie’s own door swung open abruptly, and Kate stuck her head in. “It’s Saturday and we’re all trying to sleep! Turn off your alarm!” Julie turned over, blindly groping for the button to slam her alarm off. With that done, Kate shut the door and returned back to her own room in the same manner in which she went to Julie’s. The whole house settled down following the silence of Julie’s alarm.   
In the soothing quiet and relative peace of the house, Julie went back to laying on her back, closing her eyes to get something she didn’t get all night; some good sleep. Even with the emptiness of sight, she saw something extraordinary. The rustling leaves that swayed because of the push of the chilling wind. The sight of exhaling breath that was left behind as I walked forward. The colors that illuminated the night which casted the three silhouettes of him onto the grassy hill, the tree, and also in me. A dream? No. It all happened last night. That’s right. I saw him last night. This is…a memory.  
She didn’t want to think about it anymore. In her pajamas, she rose up and sat in her seat in front of her desk. In front of her, she cracked open her SAT book at the bookmark where she left off just two nights ago. I hate math so much, she thought as she loomed over the series of numerical questions.   
The room was perfect for studying; the lights were bright enough to see everything clearly and it was all quiet from the inside. But even with the perfect environment, Julie was having a hard time putting her focus on the book, She kept thinking about him.  
She leaned back on her chair and rigorously exhaled from exhaustion even though she had yet to solve a single problem. Staring at the ceiling, she stopped thinking for a moment and snapped right back in front of her book. Just about when she was going to write the equation for the question, the sound of the toilet flush completely shattered her concentration. Julie was close to frozen when her sister opened the door, poking her head out once again, and saying, “It’s all your fault that I woke up early,” shutting the door, leaving Julie to pull the last straw.   
I can’t take this anymore, Julie silently thought in her head. Already completely frustrated from her lack of progress in her study book, she packed her books and pencils into her bag and headed for the front door, passing the kitchen on the way.  
“Where are you going?” Kate asked from the seat of the kitchen table as she noticed her sister almost storming out.  
“I’m going to the library,” Julie said quickly, almost annoyed.  
“I hope you don’t go wearing your pajamas,” Kate snickered, taking a bite from her toasted bread.  
“Thanks,” Julie said with an insincere tone, turning around towards her room to change her outfit.  
Kate, just about to take her second bite, noticed Julie passing the kitchen door again but this time properly dressed. Just as Julie disappeared past the door frame, Kate heard the front door open and close. Kate, stared for a moment, wondering what was wrong with Julie, but went back to eating.  
“What’s going on??” The mother of the family appeared in the opening of the door, still in her pajamas and her hair not yet done. “I heard a bang!” She took out her burglar bat and started to look around.  
“How am I even your daughter...” Kate, whispered to herself, sighing and putting her piece of toast down. “There’s no burglar mom! And go get changed!”  
***  
The library was not so far away from Julie’s house. For any person, it would take about six minutes to walk there but Julie liked to take her time and would take ten minutes instead. Although she didn’t necessarily stare at her surroundings, she liked to pay attention to the scenery. The cars that zoomed past up and down the streets. How the tree branches swayed with the wind. She would often notice the change in the color of leaves as the seasons go by.   
As she approached the glass entrance of the library, the double doors automatically slid open. Julie was quite surprised herself, just noticing a sensor above her head with a blinking red light. It just showed how long she hasn’t been to the library. The last time I came here was when I was studying with … Julie stopped her thought and proceeded into the library.  
One step inside and she could instantly feel the difference in the environment. Although it was in the middle of the autumn season, the library’s air conditioning was on full blast. With one breath, Julie could tell that the air was dry and crisp. Walking deeper into the library, Julie noticed just how barren the place was compared to the last time she was here. The weeks before midterms and final exams were the worst. Crowded with study groups, which most didn’t actually study, it was difficult to concentrate.  
Walking down the aisle of rectangular tables, Julie was pleased to see that the few actually working in the library were diligent and quiet. Taking her own seat, she had to do the same. Opening her bag, she saw an assignment sheet which reminded her of a research paper on birds which she hasn’t even started. Great timing! Julie optimistically thought. What’s a better place to research, than in a library!  
Leaving her things at the table, Julie went over to the front desk, asking one of the workers sitting down, “Do you know where I can find books about birds?”  
“Let me check,” the lady said, twisting over to face the computer screen. While Julie was waiting, the lady began a series of typing and clicking. “It should be in the nonfiction area,” the lady looked up and said, “I’ll give you the specific numbers. It starts at 6390.”  
“Thank you so much,” Julie politely said, and went over to the nonfiction area of the library. The nonfiction section of the library was very secluded, being in the back of the library behind the fiction section. Julie strolled in between the shelves, reading the numbers on the bottom of the spine. As she got closer to her desired number, she noticed a group of three boys, who looked like in their senior year of high school, talking and laughing. I guess the library wasn’t that quiet after all... Julie ignored them, as she just wanted to just get her book and leave to work on her paper. On her peripheral vision, she noticed that one of the lousy boys were leaning on a book with the number 6390. Great…now I have to talk to them.  
“Excu -” Julie was about to interrupt their conversation but was cut off before she could finish.  
“Excuse me,” a person behind Julie, which had a teenage deep voice, said. “I’ll need to be getting something and you guys happen to be in the way.” Annoyed but surprised, Julie turned around to see that it was Jonathan who spoke up. The boys stopped their conversation but stood still, staring at Jonathan. He walked past Julie as if she weren’t there and stared down at the boy leaning against the books. Julie took notice that Jonathan was quite tall compared to the other boys. Without a word, the boys moved away from the area. Jonathan then kneeled down and pinched a book, taking it out from its squeezed position between the other books.   
“Thank you,” Julie said. Jonathan turned around and looked at Julie as if she just appeared out of nowhere.   
“Why are you thanking me?” Jonathan said coldly and Julie’s face became shocked. “Those guys were being jerks and I wanted to get this book.” He revealed the front cover of the book and without sparing another second of time, Jonathan disappeared in between the book shelves, leaving Julie. She returned back to her seat with several books, but her collection of research was incomplete without the one Jonathan had already taken.  
***   
Julie softly closed a mediocrely thick book and placed it ontop of the stack on her table. Finally finished with the research portion, Julie leaned on the table with an exhausted sigh. Damn, high school sucks, Julie’s thoughts pouted. The thought had to pass as she reached for some looseleaf and a pen to start her essay. The clocked ticked by in seconds and then minutes, and in about two hours, Julie swiped away the eraser scraps off her finished first draft.  
Finally, she thought, stretching her arms behind her. She felt relaxed as she laid one cheek against the cold wooden table. I’ll close my eyes for a few minutes. She folded her arms into a makeshift pillow and rested her head on the soft cotton of her jacket. Although she planned to only rest for a few minutes, she by accidently fell asleep.  
***  
“Aah,” Julie let out a small gasp, realizing that she had just awoken from an actual sleep. But something else caught her attention. Slowly rising her head from the table, she stared at Jonathan who was sitting next to her, reading. He had no reaction at all and continued to read. “Why?” Julie asked, assuming Jonathan knew the entire answer.   
“You didn’t answer my question before,” Jonathan immediately responded without taking his eyes off from the pages in front of him.  
“I said thank you because I was being polite.”   
“Oh,” he reacted as if he never considered that an answer. “That’s funny.”  
“What’s so funny about being polite?”  
Jonathan firmly closed his book, causing Julie to flinch backwards. He stood up and placed his book on top of Julie’s stack. “There’s no such thing as true politeness. People are only polite because it’s a social custom. Nobody is polite for the sake of being polite.” With that statement, Jonathan pushed his seat out and started to walk away.  
“You aren't staying?” Julie said, stopping Jonathan in his path.  
“I have some things to do.” Jonathan said without turning around, his hands hidden in his pockets. Before Julie noticed, Jonathan had already disappeared out of the library. He’s running away from me again. I have to go get him. Julie set herself a mission, but before she zoomed off the book Jonathan had before caught her attention. She picked up the book and stared into the eye of the Blue Jay on the cover. She thought as she placed the book down. With short strides, she ran out of the library in hopes of catching up to him and she kept on repeating in her head   
Facing the entrance, she can see the back figure of Jonathan through the glass double doors. She closed the gap, just making it through the small opening the doors had automatically created.  
“Jonathan!” she yelled and he stopped where he stood. There was a sudden pause between them as the autumn fallen leaves swirled on the ground. Julie’s hair flew to her side while the blade of wind only skimmed Jonathan’s hair. “This is unfair! Why do you always go away without giving a reason??”  
“What do you know about unfairness?” Julie was shocked to hear that statement. “Do you even know who I am? That’s not my name anymore.” Jonathan turned to only show the left side of his face to Julie; his hands were still in his pockets. “My name is Ike.”  
That’s true. Julie thought about what she had just heard. I thought I was closer. I thought I could be close. I thought…we were friends? As Julie thought on, he took a chance to leave the scene.  
“Jonathan!” I’m not letting him slip away again.   
“How many times do I have to say?” he frustratedly said. “My name is …”   
“I’m not calling you that,” she said, looking down at the ground, clutching her hands by her side. Ike almost thoughtlessly stared at Julie. The wind paused and Julie took a deep breath in, releasing the stress from her tensed hands, and she lifted her head on the same level as Jonathan’s. “I’m not calling you that because it makes it seem like you changed, but you didn’t. You’re still stubborn like you were before. You’re still senseless like you were before. You’re still the kind and caring person I’ve known you to be.”  
The wind abruptly returned and Julie looked at Jonathan’s expression again. It didn’t change at all. “Then don’t call me,” he said, turning his back again. “I wish all of the things you said were true.” But before he managed to even take a step, Julie said something that halted his journey.  
“Is your favorite bird the Blue Jay?”  
“Yea,” he said, looking up towards the clouds as if he were looking for the blue jay.  
“Then let me,” Julie stuttered her first few words. “let me call you Jay.” she projected forward, taking a step closer to Jonathan. She stood frozen, waiting for a response from the boy in front of her. A few seconds later, she noticed the silliness of what she just said when she saw Jonathan crack a little laughter inside.   
Before Julie was able to take back what she asked, Ike interrupted, “Sure.” Before Jonathan and now Jay. He then walked away from the library, but this time without any interruption. As Jay disappeared around the corner of the library, Julie returned back to her work in the library.   
Sitting down, she picked up the book with the cover of a Blue Jay perched on a branch and wondered why Jay would ever be interested in this bird. She noticed at side of the book that one of the pages had been bent at the corner, as if someone wanted to bookmark to page but didn’t necessarily have a bookmark. Opening the book to that certain page, Julie discovered a large picture that filled both pages. At first, a smile grew on her as she saw a forest filled with all kinds of birds she had just researched. As she admired the picture, she noticed that there was a Blue Jay at the very bottom. Without any looking any further, Julie closed the book and reminded herself that her paper was due this upcoming Monday. I should probably get to work.


End file.
